A year ago at this time, Sean Payton's future in New Orleans was a big talker.Various reports had the Super Bowl champion head coach potentially bolting the Big Easy for another NFL job. At one time or another, Payton was linked to head coaching jobs in Indianapolis, Miami, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Amidst all the job speculation in 2015, Payton always reiterated how happy he was in New Orleans. However, he never denounced any reports regarding his expiration date in black and gold. Saints owner Tom Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis also never came out publicly and put an end to the rumors.

Once the disappointing 2015 season came to a close, fans and media anxiously waited as Payton and Loomis figured out the future.

Payton even received a four-year contract extension valued at roughly $8 million annually.Along with New England's Bill Belichick and Seattle's Pete Carroll, Payton is among the NFL's highest-paid head coaches.

All that said, what if the Los Angeles Rams called the Saints or back-channeled through an old-school fixer like Mike Ornstein about Payton's availability?

Would the Saints, if Payton were interested, at least entertain the idea of swapping their head coach for a draft pick?

After firing Jeff Fisher, the Rams reportedly want to make a splash with their next head coach. The first few names popping up are unrealistic dreams: Seattle's Pete Carroll, University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, and former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Jon Gruden.I won't waste time detailing why none of those three will end up in Los Angeles. Just trust me, they won't. So who's next?Stanford University head coach David Shaw?He's passed on every NCAA and NFL job for three years.Ohio State's Urban Meyer or Alabama's Nick Saban? Even more unrealistic than Harbaugh.

So what about Payton?

While the Saints have promising young talent like Michael Thomas, Willie Snead IV, Sheldon Rankins and Delvin Breaux, and because future hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees is still playing at an extremely high level, 2017 could be special for New Orleans.

But 2017 could also easily be a repeat of 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Since 2014, the Saints and the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL teams without a winning record at any time during the regular season.

So while our hearts tell us 2017 could be a breakthrough campaign similar to 2009, our heads tell us the Saints have been an extremely inconsistent team and are trending the wrong way, a franchise stuck in long-term mediocrity.

Look, I know Sean Payton is an amazing coach, but can he still be amazing in New Orleans?

Benson and Loomis obviously believed the answer to that question was "yes" when they kept Payton and paid him handsomely last year.

But after a third consecutive non-winning season, do they still feel that way?

Speaking of amazing head coaches, I'd put Andy Reid in that category.

Reid had a super successful stint in Philadelphia as the Eagles' head coach, but in the end, his message wasn't being heard and his decision-making wasn't as sharp as it once was. Philly needed a change.

Reid has moved on and is having tremendous success with Kansas City.

Maybe Payton needs an Andy Reid-esque change of scenery.

And LA has promise. Rookie quarterback Jared Goff has great upside, running back Todd Gurley was the 2015 NFL offensive rookie of the year and defensive tackle Aaron Donald is an absolute stud.